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I was told by my Dr that Victoza was the latest and greatest med for Type 2 Diabetes. I copy and pasted this for you.

Last updated: May 12, 2012 1:27 amMonster boost for diabetes drugsBy Clive CooksonA gut hormone produced by the Gila monster lizard could be crucial in the treatment of type-2 diabetesThe Gila monster of the south-western US has two claims to fame: it is one of only two poisonous lizards in the world, and its metabolism is extraordinarily slow, so it typically eats only once every couple of months.Both characteristics have attracted attention from pharmaceutical researchers. Gila monster venom is a potential source of drugs. But so far it is the lizard’s sluggish metabolism that is turning out to be more useful to humanity, leading to new treatments for the pandemic of type-2 diabetes that is sweeping the globe in association with dietary changes and rising levels of obesity.The key is a gut hormone called “glucagon-like peptide 1”, or GLP-1, which the body releases as soon as you start eating carbohydrates. The hormone alerts cells in the pancreas to secrete insulin to control glucose levels in the blood.Although human GLP-1 might be a good treatment for type-2 diabetes, giving pancreatic cells an extra stimulus to raise the low levels of insulin that cause the disease, the natural hormone is broken down too quickly in the body to be a practical drug. So the pharmaceutical industry needed to make GLP-1 last much longer in patients – which is where the Gila monster comes in. Reptilian GLP-1, released when the lizard starts to eat one of its rare meals, lasts for many hours, compared with a few minutes for the human hormone.John Eng of the Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Center in New York was the first to isolate GLP-1 from Gila monster saliva. Amylin, a US biotech company, led the way in turning his discovery into a drug (exenatide), and others have followed, using chemical modifications to improve the pharmaceutical properties.With more than 250 million people worldwide suffering from type-2 diabetes and projections suggesting that the total may reach 550 million by 2030, the need for an effective treatment is immense. The few old drugs available, notably metformin, perform poorly.Clinical trials of the latest drug derived from Gila GLP-1, lixisenatide from Danish company Zealand Pharma, suggest that it not only lowers blood sugar levels but also helps patients to lose weight. This is because it acts on the stomach and brain – reducing appetite – as well as on its primary target, the pancreas, says David Solomon, Zealand chief executive.It is 90 years since Canadian scientists discovered that type-1 (juvenile onset) diabetes could be treated successfully with insulin injections. While the introduction of GLP-1 drugs cannot match the significance of the insulin discovery, they may turn out to be the most important development in diabetes treatment of the early 21st century. And all thanks to the slow digestion of the Gila monster.